California Public Colleges Ranked by Lowest In State Tution

Cheapest Public Colleges in California by In State Tution

Below is a college cost ranking of the 33 public colleges in California with the lowest in state tution. What is the cheapest college in California? San Diego State University Imperial Valley Campus tops the list with a tuition and fee total of $5,706. Note these costs do not include room and board or living expenses.

Affordable doesn't simply mean finding a school with a low published price. It's important to research the typical financial aid package offered by a school, the average net price actually paid and most importantly the quality of education you receive for your tuition dollar. Sometimes a school which appears cheap based on list price can be a poor relative value if it can't award competitive financial aid or doesn't offer a quality education. The list below is a ranking on published in state tution with no consideration of actual average price paid or academic quality of the school. Please see the CollegeSimply Best Value Colleges in California list for a ranking which considers school quality and average net price.

All price data are reprinted from the U.S. Department of Education's 2022-2022 IPEDS Survey and reflect reported costs for the 2021/2022 academic year.

List of California Public Colleges Ranked by Lowest In State Tution
School Tuition In State
San Diego State University Imperial Valley Campus

Calexico, California

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$5,706
California State University Fresno

Fresno, CA

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$6,663
California State University Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA

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$6,805
California State University Channel Islands

Camarillo, CA

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$6,817
California State University Long Beach

Long Beach, CA

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$6,884
California State University East Bay

Hayward, CA

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$6,995
California State University Fullerton

Fullerton, CA

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$7,007
California State University Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA

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$7,060
California State University Northridge

Northridge, CA

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$7,069
California Maritime Academy

Vallejo, CA

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$7,116
California State University Monterey Bay

Seaside, CA

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$7,323
California State Polytechnic University Pomona

Pomona, CA

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$7,439
California State University Sacramento

Sacramento, CA

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$7,484
California State University San Bernardino

San Bernardino, CA

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$7,486
San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA

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$7,524
California State University Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA

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$7,637
California State University San Marcos

San Marcos, CA

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$7,733
California State University Stanislaus

Turlock, CA

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$7,734